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The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program is recognition of successful research experience. This degree requires an original and significant contribution to knowledge in an approved area. The degree requires a minimum of 3 years full-time study and preparation of a thesis.

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy may be awarded by the Council on the recommendation of the Research Committee of the appropriate faculty or board (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) to a candidate who has made an original and significant contribution to knowledge.

The length of a doctoral thesis normally should not exceed 100,000 words of text and should be submitted for examination within 3 years of full-time study.

The candidate may undertake the research as an internal student ie. at a campus, teaching hospital, or other research facility with which the University is associated, or as an external student not in attendance at the University except for periods as may be prescribed by the Committee.

The approved applicant may undertake their enrolment with a part-time or full-time load at the University, at one of its teaching hospitals or a research facility with which the University is associated; the Committee may permit a candidate to spend a period in the field, within another institution or elsewhere away from the University if it is satisfied that this is necessary to the research program and provided that the work can be supervised in a manner satisfactory to the Committee.

If the candidate's research work is based externally, there must be a minimum acceptable level of supervision that will be determined by the Committee. Normally an external candidate within another organisation or institution will have a co-supervisor at that institution.

Candidature

A candidate shall be required to undertake an original investigation on a topic approved by the Committee and may also be required to undergo such examination and perform such other work as may be prescribed by the Committee. The work shall be carried out under the direction of a supervisor appointed by the Committee from the academic staff of the University.

A candidate shall be enrolled for a minimum of 144 units of credit (uoc) and up to a maximum of 192uoc. A full-time load during one Session is worth 24uoc and a part-time load is worth 12uoc.

For a full-time student, the review will conducted six months after commencement. The review will focus on the viability of the research proposal.

Progress will then be reviewed within twelve months of the first review. If a candidate’s progress during either review is found to be dissatisfactory, the Committee may cancel enrolment or take such other action as it considers appropriate.

Thereafter, the progress of the candidate will be reviewed annually.

Thesis

On completing the program of study a candidate shall submit a thesis embodying the results of the investigation. The Registrar shall be notified in writing with an eight-week notice of intention to submit the thesis.

The thesis shall comply with the following requirements:

it must be an original and significant contribution to knowledge of the subject;

the greater proportion of the work described must have been completed subsequent to enrolment for the degree;

it must be written in English;

it must reach a satisfactory standard of expression and presentation;

it must consist of an account of the candidate's own research but in special cases work done conjointly with other persons may be accepted provided the Committee is satisfied about the extent of the candidate's part in the joint research.

If any work or material which has previously been submitted for a university degree or other similar award, a candidate may not submit that as the main content of the thesis but may submit any work otherwise previously published, whether or not it is related to the thesis.

The thesis shall contain a certificate signed by the candidate indicating specifically the extent to which the work embodied in the thesis is directly attributable to the candidate's own research and the extent to which the thesis has benefited from collaboration with persons other than the supervisor.

Four copies of the thesis shall be presented in a form which complies with the requirements of the University for the preparation and submission of higher degree theses.

It shall be understood that the University retains the four copies of the thesis submitted for examination and is free to allow the thesis to be consulted or borrowed. Subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act, 1968, the University may issue the thesis, in whole or in part, in photostat or microfilm or other copying medium.

Candidates with an Honours degree (at least class 2 division 1) in a relevant discipline, or with an MBBS from an Australian or New Zealand university, are in general considered eligible for admission to a PhD program, or

Candidates with Honours below class 2 division 1, or who have not been awarded an Honours degree, need to demonstrate appropriate research experience and are in general considered eligible for admission to a PhD program if able to provide evidence of first authorship on at least one refereed paper in a journal of sufficient standing. However, first authorship on a publication is not an absolute prerequisite and the eligibility of all such candidates is determined on a case-by-case basis, or

Candidates with an MBBS or other medical degree from another country are in the first instance considered to be eligible to enrol for a research Masters program, with later upgrade to a PhD if appropriate. Direct enrolment for a PhD may be approved on the basis of strong support from the proposed supervisor and the relevant Head of School, or

Candidates with a Bachelor's degree (not an Honours degree) and relevant experience, but no first author publications in refereed journals of sufficient standing, may be eligible to enrol in a research Masters program on the basis of support from the proposed supervisor and the relevant Head of School, with later upgrade to a PhD if appropriate. Uncommonly, direct enrolment for a PhD may be approved on the basis of strong support from the proposed supervisor and the relevant Head of School.